This section tracks how often things go wrong in Canada, and whether it is getting better or worse. Each page gives a short trend summary, the numbers behind it, recent cases, up to 20 years of official press releases and a credited photo list. Figures come from federal agencies first (Statistics Canada, Transport Canada, the Transportation Safety Board, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Natural Resources Canada), then from provinces and national bodies such as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, the Lifesaving Society and the Insurance Bureau of Canada. Some Canadian data are collected province by province, and each page says which area and year a figure covers.
Where the trends point
- Getting worse: wildfire seasons, road deaths, fraud losses, measles, fall deaths.
- Getting better: opioid deaths (since 2023), commercial marine and aviation deaths, age-adjusted cancer death rates.
- No clear trend: earthquakes, where exposure rises but activity does not.
Wildfires upFire
Home fires, building fires and wildfires.
Rising exposureEarthquakes
About 5,000 detected a year; early warning now covers 10 million people.
MixedTransport accidents
Road, maritime and aviation.
Losses risingFinancial fraud
$704 million in reported losses in 2025.
MixedDisease
Infectious and chronic disease.
MixedInjuries
Fall deaths rising; opioid deaths falling.
How this page is built. Figures come from the official statistical releases linked above; where agencies publish provisional numbers we say so, because they are revised. Canadian statistics are often collected by provinces and territories, and some national series run several years behind, so we say which area and year each figure covers. Photos are public-domain or Creative Commons images credited in each caption; file photos are illustrative and are not from the events described unless the caption says so. This page tracks trends and is not personal safety, medical, legal or financial advice.